Monday, 5 April 2010

Breakthrough Process- Part 1

As promised, some of the background and process steps involved with my 'Breakthrough' quilt 'Bexhill Breakwaters'. It's interesting to compare my original 'intent' with the results!The first decision was whether to work to the specified 60cm or 90cm square. I really prefer to work on a larger scale but acrylics don't like being folded so 60cm it was.My inspiration are the groynes photographed at Bexhill (but probably 'breakwater' sounds more polite!)

In 2005 I made this Journal quilt of the groynes at Southend - fabric doubled over with bondaweb between then sections and slits cut out and the whole stucture inserted in a slit in fabric to give 3d effect I'd used the same technique in this 6" x 12 " journal quilt, inserting folded Japanese kasuri into a slit made in piece of old Durham Quilt , a lot of machine stitching ( including from the back with thicker thread in the bobbin ). I went too far in painting with acrylics (that's the problem on a small scale, it's actually easier to hold back when working larger)

I gessoed a large piece of Durham quilt in preparation and started working out a square composition. I wanted to capture the vigour I achieved in this watercolour/acrylic ink sketch and the variety of stitching in this Journal quilt (below).

All this while trying to maintain the simplicity of these works by Paul Nash.A tall order!